


Always, yet Never

by Marie_Ciel



Category: Pokemon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Ciel/pseuds/Marie_Ciel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cheren and Touko have been best friends for as long as either can remember, yet, there is a distance between them. How can this be, when they are always by each other's sides? A musing, Cheren's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always, yet Never

Of every memory Cheren managed to hold onto, each all bore a certain commonality with the rest. Perhaps it was a subconsciously-determined reason to hold it close as to keep it from falling into the deep void of loss in his mind, or perhaps it was a mere instance of randomness; no matter what, it always bore one distinguishing trait, and that trait was the presence of Touko.

It was a remarkable thing- every scene he could still clearly remember, she was there. Perhaps not the main point of focus, or perhaps not even relevant to the story, but somehow, Touko was there. Be it part of the backdrop, a main player or a bystander, she managed to worm her way into Cheren's life one way or another, determined and driven as always.

She was always Touko, and she was always there just beside him.

He was grounded by her. No matter how things changed, how the years flew by in a blur of vivid color, there was one thing he could always place trust in and that was her presence. Through all the years they had known each other, through all of the childish spats they had endured, through all the embarrassments and glories and foolish ventures, through _everything,_ Touko was always by his side.

Touko was the single constant in his existence, he was sure. That was, until, even she submitted to change.

It wasn't that she _herself_ was changing, but Cheren's perception of her certainly did.

That was the natural progression of things, was it not? As one became more mature, one's views of the world naturally changed as well.

After a while, Cheren's two best friends took on new meanings for him. They were no longer merely 'girls', but were two separate entities- Bianca and Touko. In regards to the former, she was just that, she was just _Bianca._ He could never get past the fact that she was _Bianca_ that lived next door, the terribly flighty girl he had to nag and scold constantly to keep her from accidentally killing herself. She was his friend nonetheless, and he treasured her presence, but--

But _Touko..._ Touko was a _girl._

Perhaps she wasn't a stereotypical beauty, but she held fast to an infectious tomboyish charm; something that no one in their right mind could ignore, Cheren included. Those damn short shorts she wore all the time were of no help to his cause, either.

Now he felt himself venturing into new, unexplored and dangerous territory. With the recognition of Touko's _proper_ identity, a sudden onslaught of emotions was spontaneously released- something he had been unwittingly bottling up for years.

Whether the other two picked up on it or not, Cheren was finding it increasingly difficult to hold it in. Every moment he spent with Touko only fed those flames. It was only a matter of time before something came of it, and he was dreadfully fearful of what form that something would take.

But-- why?

Touko was his best friend- even above Bianca, they had known each other the longest and developed the tightest bond. This might not be immediately obvious to the casual passerby, what with the amount of bickering tossed about between the two, but nothing could come between them. As newfound feelings were awakened in Cheren, he knew he had to stop it as soon as was possible.

He couldn't risk hurting Touko, making things awkward between the two of them as well as with Bianca, having to deal with the crushing disappointment if she didn't return his feelings... _never._ This had to stop immediately. As much as he loved her- beyond simply the platonic sort- he could never destroy all that they already had.

He should have been happy with only that sort of bond- yet, he was not. Not at _all._

As they continued to travel together, Cheren found her presence pleasing, if a bit troubling. It was both wonderful and slightly intoxicating depending on their proximity. As much as he grudgingly enjoyed it, the situation also forced Cheren's change of heart to become a rather pertinent matter. Touko was now enclosed in an airtight glass case- something Cheren could admire, but never come close to, let alone touch. All the while, Touko would be just beside him- as always- but at the same time, out of reach.

It was the loneliest feeling in the world.

Cheren was never alone- and yet, he always was. She was just out of his reach, never to be in his arms.

It was tearing him up inside, and he could never do a thing about it.

Always.

“...heading on to Victory Road, though I gotta do it myself. I trust my team now; I think we're ready.”

Touko's voice, taut with her insatiable determination, shocked Cheren back to reality. As he blinked away cloudy thoughts, saturated thickly with torrid emotion, his eyes settled upon her.

Of course- she was his strong, valiant Touko. She turned to him with a brazen smile, though her warm chocolatey gaze was soft.

“You'll be rooting for me, right, Cheren?”

It was posed almost as a joke, carefree and flippant without a second thought.

Just then, a rarity- an expression Cheren rarely, if ever, showed came to his countenance. He could not stop his emotions from overflowing any longer. His voice could not bear to rise above a whisper, else it would confess everything.

A genuine, gentle smile worked its way into Cheren's lips.

_“Always.”_


End file.
